Next Chapter of Life
by S.S.Ezria
Summary: She thought that he was out of her life forever. The only piece of him she had left was his book, the book that ruined her. The book that brought them together at last.
1. Chapter 1

**If you're new, welcome! If you're familiar with the mess that I'm ashamed to call **_**Next Chapter of Life**_**, I'm sorry. I began this story feeling hopeful and excited- until I realized that I had completely screwed up chapter two. Then, after looking back, I realized that chapter one wasn't so hot, either. I never feel all that proud when it comes to my writing, but I was honestly so disappointed in myself and this piece of work, which drove me to not want to continue it. So that's why I haven't updated in half a year. I don't know why, but I got motivated to re-write this fanfic rather than abandon it, so here we are…**

**By the way, HUGE thanks to my girl Ana, aka the talented ohgodbomer here on fanfiction. She helped me SO much with re-writing these two chapters, so thanks Ana! You're an idea machine and ily.**

Curiosity had killed the cat. Or in this case, curiosity had killed Aria Montgomery. At long last, the interest had worn her down, like water does rock. Aria had resisted temptation for years, trying not to let her indulgent side get the best of her. The more frivolous side of her won against the practical one in a drawn-out battle against herself, which is why she found herself at a dimly lit, low-ceilinged used bookstore on a warm May afternoon, rifling through the box marked "J". So far, Aria had not hit her jackpot and was beginning to grow impatient.

"Can I help you with anything?" Asked the only worker in the store, after noticing Aria's struggle.

_This is some sort of sign, _Aria thought to herself, _If I can't find the stupid book, this means I shouldn't read it._

_But you're IN the book, _piped a small voice in the back of Aria's brain, _You can't just not read it._

Aria blinked back to reality. "Yeah, hi, do you by any chance have the book _Just Another Apple_?"

The worker cringed, shaking her head.

"I figured as much," Aria offered.

"Let me look, there's bound to be a copy here somewhere. I'll only be a few minutes," Said the woman as she scurried into the depths of the quaint store.

As time normally slows when one is feeling anxious or impatient, the ten minutes this woman was away felt like ten hours for Aria.

Finally, the woman came back, battered novel in hand.

"This is all I could find," She said, holding out a tattered copy that looked a little too well-loved,with its frayed edges and many of the the yellowing pages were taped together as opposed to being bound together. "This copy is honestly so ridiculously worn out… here, have it for free." The woman halfheartedly handed the book over to Aria.

Aria reluctantly took the book and inspected its jacket, her heart thumping. Her eyes moved down the cover, eyeing the author's name written in bold print on the bottom, in a font size larger than the title itself, as if it was mocking her.

She couldn't do this. Aria wasn't ready to read the novel. She didn't need to open a floodgate of memories that she was making an effort to suppress and forget because remembering was far too painful.

Besides, did she really want to read a novel that was basically her ex-boyfriend's recount of their broken relationship? Aria already knew that he didn't love her anymore- he didn't have to say anything, but actions speak billions of decibels louder than words-but she was too faint of heart to want to read the details of precisely how her soulmate fell out of love with her. Her heart was already ripped to shreds; she didn't need to be the one lighting the match that would burn and further destroy the pieces.

Actually…" Aria began, staring down at the thick, paperback book in her hands, "I'm not sure if I want it. I'm so sorry for sending you on that wild goose chase."

"It's quite alright." Answered the perplexed woman, who attempted to be sympathetic but couldn't, due to her inability to understand Aria's capriciousness.

The woman and Aria both stood in silence, Aria staring at the book before her, the woman waiting for Aria to make a conclusive verdict on whether she would keep the book or not.

Aria honestly had no idea what to do. Here she was, standing in the middle of the bookstore, and she still could not bring herself to go through with taking the book, she couldn't cross the damn finish line.

Aria was thoroughly frustrated with playing tug-of-war with herself, especially because she knew that neither side would win.

She figured that she might as well just take the book and not commit to reading it. Even if she let the novel collect dust, at least she gave herself options.

Minutes passed until Aria remarked defiantly, more to herself than to the lady working at the bookstore,

"You know what? I'm just going to do it. I'll take the book!"

Aria grasped the book tightly and hurried out of the store before she could change her mind again and strolled back to her apartment. Aria had entered her small apartment and fell back onto her couch, novel in hand. She still couldn't believe that after all these years of holding her head high, after all this resistance, this stupid novel that she resented so much, the book that would always come back to haunt her, the book that made it impossible to forget, was now in her ownership.

_She practically possessed a piece of him._

Holding this book was the closest Aria would ever come to holding him in her arms again, which wasn't necessarily something Aria wanted but it was certainly something she missed.

Aria threw the book on the shelf under the coffee table and commenced grading her seventh grade students' spelling tests, one of the last of the year.

Aria wasn't the biggest fan of her job as a seventh-grade English teacher at a public school, but she didn't hate it, and for her first teaching job, she considered herself to be lucky. Her main complaint was the age and maturity level of her students. She always wanted to teach high schoolers and she thought she was better suited towards teaching high school. However, her students weren't hard to handle, and compared to other New York public schools, the class sizes were on the smaller side.

After finishing her grading, Aria spent the rest of her Sunday creating a study guide for the final and watching old, black and white TV. Her new book remained untouched for the rest of the evening.

Months passed.

_Just Another Apple_ was lost in the pile of books under her coffee table, not even in view. The book had been completely forgotten.

Aria Montgomery went about her daily life, working at a job that she didn't love and coming home to a quaint apartment that still felt lonely.

Despite these far-from-ideal conditions, Aria found happiness. Even though work wasn't something that she looked forward to every morning, she didn't hate her steady job. And even though she had no one in the city, her friends were only a short train ride away, and they saw each other often. Aria thanked her lucky stars and thought of herself as fortunate. Most people fall out of touch with their high school friends, but Aria and her best friends' bond was strong enough to survive the separation that college entailed.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. This saying rings true for the first few months after someone leaves you, years if you're Aria Montgomery. Eventually, though, absence makes the heart forget. Aria was content with her life and didn't miss her ex-boyfriend _that_ much anymore simply because ten years without him caused Aria to forget what life was like when she had him.

One day, though, on a humid August afternoon, Aria remembered. She was cuddled on her couch, sipping iced coffee and reading a thin book of short stories, the local alternative radio playing as background music. This was normal for Aria, and the woman was clueless to the fact that moments later would be the start of a domino effect that would cause her entire life to deviate from it's course. The radio station began playing commercials, and Aria snapped to attention. Aria was able to tune out the soft radio when the music was playing ,but once the commercials began, it was the only thing she could focus on, serving as a major distraction. Without thinking, Aria turned the dial to the soft- rock station and immediately recognized the all too familiar lyrics playing on the radio.

_Happiness damn near destroys you _

_Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor _

_So you tell yourself, that's enough for now _

_Happiness has a violent roar _

Aria immediately froze. _B-26._ She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, but she would not allow herself to cry. She was stronger than that… wasn't she? The lump in her throat made it hard to swallow. Aria tried to get back into her original position, engulfed in her blanket, but she could not get comfortable again. She picked up her book and tried to continue reading, but something in the back of her mind was tugging at her, whispering to her that she should be reading a different book. His book. Aria let the song finish, and even though the music faded out, the emotions it brought back refused to leave her. Aria finally decided to rifle through the shelf under her coffee table, searching the pile of books, magazines, and memories she'd rather forget, until she found the book that was falling apart. She finally decided to read it, not sure of what to expect. She opened the novel warily, slowly turning each page. Aria flipped past the dedication, but then flipped back, because it caught her eye.

_To A.M, _

_I need you to know that I haven't given up on us. _

He had dedicated the book to her.

_Well, fuck._

Aria hadn't even started chapter one, yet she was already crying.

Aria read on about how a curly-haired man in his early twenties had gone to a college bar, how a wide-eyed, stunning woman with a childlike innocence had caught his eye. Aria continued to read, biting back the tears. It was no use. Aria had already turned into a human waterfall after she had barely made a dent in the long, emotional novel. The yellowed, torn pages of the worn-out book were now stained with tears.

What sucked so much was that the book was _beautiful_. It was honestly perfect. Aria couldn't have told their story better herself. But that was what killed her. The book discussed her, and the times they shared, with great fondness, but Aria knew that the author was just embellishing the truth for the sake of better writing. Aria would rather know the heart-wrenching truth than read the beautiful lies.

Aria was an avid, passionate reader, someone who could finish novels in one sitting if she was determined could get through books very quickly, simply because she read whenever she got the chance. However, Just Another Apple took her months to read. She would read the book sporadically, but then eventually have to put it down because it was just too much to handle, and her tears clouded her vision. One Sunday in late November, she picked up the book again, flipping to where she left off, just more than halfway through the novel. She turned the page, realizing that the paper wasn't bound to the book. She let go, letting the page flutter the ground. Aria realized that the ripped page after it was only bound to the book in one page, so she tore it out as well. Then the next page. Then the page after that. Before Aria knew what she was doing, the human geyser had become a human hurricane.

Without knowing why, she grabbed another handful of papers and ripped them out of the book. Aria was a petite, thin young woman who wasn't too keen on any sort of physical activity, but at that moment, she felt like the Hulk—enraged and strong. Her newly acquired sense of empowerment drove her to tear out another section, more vigorously this time.

"That is for leaving me!" She screamed as the papers fluttered helplessly to the ground. She continued to deface the story, shouting, "And _that_ was for ending our story!" as she angrily stomped on the papers on the floor, squishing them like a child does ants.

She stared at the floor, wiping her eyes and suddenly regretting what she had done. She had destroyed the only piece of him she had left.

But he had destroyed their love.

Aria felt the destruction of this book symbolized her relationship. She needed to just let it go. Yet, as Aria grabbed the fallen papers and brought them to the recycling bin, she couldn't bring herself to open her hand and let the papers fall in. Instead, she hastily stuffed them into her closet. Aria plopped back down on her couch, not sure if she felt empowered and in control, or if she regretted her decision to deface the book.

A month passed, more or less. Aria wasn't exactly sure why, but this Friday was a half day for the students as well as many of the teachers, her included. Aria walked out of the school building, appreciating the brisk November weather. She breathed in the cool, New York air, and then coughed it back out, as it was polluted from the smoke from cigarettes and hot dog vendors. She strolled with an unusual skip in her step. the leaves crunching under her feet. She was an independent woman, living on her own in the city, working at a job she felt lucky to have, her closest friends living relatively nearby.

But where was he?

Shortly after Aria had moved to New York, she pulled a Spencer Hastings, searching relentlessly for information, following any lead she had, and expanding her sources so they reached further than the internet. There was hardly any information about Ezra that had nothing to do with _Just Another Apple_, which was a topic she simply wanted to block out of her mind.

days of searching online, she never did find out. But did his fleeing make her life better or worse? Maybe it was the lack of closure that is what kept her clinging on, kept her from forgetting. Or maybe she just never fell out of love.

She walked to Bigelow's, her little corner of paradise. It was a cozy, relaxing bookstore and coffee shop combined into one. She planned on grabbing a book or two, then a coffee, reading her new books in the coffee shop. She noticed a table displaying classic novels, buy one get one half off. It was a good deal, so Aria scanned the display, realizing that there wasn't a novel on this table that she didn't already have in her collection. Aria wandered to the back of the store, looking for a poetry book. Aria found three books to buy, so she purchased them, and then walked to the coffee shop section of the store. No sooner had she entered the coffee shop when she was practically confronted with a giant sign with a very familiar face on it. "Today and Tomorrow only!" it read, "get your copy _of Just Another Apple_ signed and listen to a book talk given by the author!" Aria's heart froze. The fact that he could be here didn't quite register with Aria, which was why she didn't dart out of the small store in order to avoid him. When it came to fight or flight, Aria always chose the latter. But this time, Aria let her feet stay planted, mainly because she didn't quite realize what not leaving meant. Aria got in line for coffee when she heard a velvety, guttural voice that had been music to her ears years ago.

She must have been hearing things.

Life split them apart. There was never any hope for a reunion.

Yet… here he was, shockingly enough.

No, it was too cliché to be true. Seeing his face on the poster reminded Aria of how he looked; she was just imagining her long lost love standing in front of her.

The man turned and sat at a table, giving Aria the perfect profile view of him.

It was true, it was him.

Aria still believed her eyes were deceiving her.

However, now was the chance to speak up, or else he might disappear again. But did Aria really want him back?

Aria suddenly heard a voice. She realized it was her own. She silently berated herself for speaking without thinking.

Aria Montgomery had uttered one solitary word. This single proper noun had the power to drastically alter fate. And it did.

"Ezra?"

**So I know this was sloppy and hastily written, which kind of defeats the purpose of re-writing this fanfiction, but I'm leaving for overnight camp in a few days, and I wanted to put something up before I left for a month.**

**Twitter: OhHale2theNo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! i don't know if people got the update email ,but I'm actually re-writing this story. If you haven't read chapter one (for the second time), I suggest you do that before reading this one:) So. I'm really bad at updating. What else is new? I'm so sorry, but thanks for sticking with me, baes:)**

**Chapter 2, take 2**

_"This twist of fate, this surprising reunion left me at a loss for words. The only phrase I could muster was "Holy crap"- Just Another Apple_

Ezra Fitz abruptly looked up and nearly spit out his coffee in shock. He could not believe what he was seeing. The girl that he had let go was right before his eyes. She looked even more beautiful than when he last saw her nearly ten years ago, but he noticed certain loneliness in her eyes, one that he had never spotted before. This surprise reunion was a pleasant one, but all too shocking and random for him to formulate words. He had questions for the love of his life whom had just now re entered his world, and the two certainly had a lot of catching up to do. Ezra just had no idea where to begin.

"Aria?" He asked, feeling the need to ascertain that the woman before him was, in fact, the woman he'd promise to himself that he would marry years ago.

Aria gave Ezra a slight smile. Her face looked friendly, but in her eyes were glassy and melancholic. She nodded.

Ezra Fitz was still the same smartly dressed gentleman, the same young man with the boyish curls, the same man that Aria had fell in love with years ago. Yet, he looked older. Well, he was older, and to be fair, so was she. But his cheeks looked just that much more hollow, and the skin around his eyes was just that much more wrinkly, forming the beginnings of crow's-feet.

"How have you been?" He asked. It was a purely platonic question.

"Fine. You?" Aria answered, tersely.

"I've been alright." The formalities abruptly ended when Ezra continued, saying,

"So… you know why I'm, here. What brings you to Bigelow's?" Ezra asked.

"This is actually my local bookstore.." She suddenly felt curiously vulnerable, practically revealing to Ezra where she lived. She didn't want him to know more about her than she knew about him. She hastily changed the subject. "How is life in Delaware?" She asked him.

"It was hard to get accustomed to." He answered. He then said, "I really miss Rosewood," But he meant _I really miss you_.

"Are you still living there?"

"No, actually I moved here a month or so ago."

"Oh, really?" _And you didn't even bother to tell me?_

"Yeah. Anyways, are you here for the signing?" Ezra asked, knowing it was kind of a daring question. The romantic in him was hopeful that maybe, just maybe Aria had come back to him purposefully. But the realist in him knew he was being too naive.

Aria snorted quietly. "Do you honestly think that?" She asked in disbelief.

"No… that's why I asked," Ezra answered cautiously, but he was interrupted by a frustrated Aria.

"Ezra, it was your career that ended our relationship, I don't really think that's the thing we should be talking about." Aria snapped.

"But times have changed."

"Yes they have. You're a bestselling author who finally got the chance to live on cloud nine, ever since you brushed off the girl who was holding you back. You took pleasure out of my pain and you're getting money from it."

"Aria, no, clearly you've misunderstood. Please, hear me out."

Aria would have none of it. "Have a nice rest of your life, Ezra Fitz." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, which was just a façade for her sincere intentions (though she couldn't admit that to herself). She pivoted and began to stride out of the shop, when Ezra rose from his seat. He grabbed Aria's arm, causing her to stop and turn.

"Please, Aria, let me explain…" He pleaded. Aria tried to shake his hand off.

"At least tell me if you've read the book."

"I did," Aria said quietly.

"What did you think of the ending?" Ezra asked hopefully.

"Didn't read the ending" Aria replied dryly

"Why not?" Ezra was intrigued. He needed Aria to read those last pages. His life practically depended on it.

"Never got around to it," Said Aria, not wanting to let him know that she was not strong enough to complete the book, as it reminded her of what she once had and what had escaped from her.

_That explains it_, Ezra thought to himself, _that explains why she's acting so cold. Although I can't expect her to forgive me just because of a few pages I wrote._

"Please do," He begged.

"Maybe one day," Aria said, in a tone that spoke for itself, saying that she most certainly wouldn't.

That pretty much ended the conversation, and Aria walked out of the door, coffee in hand.

Ezra had finished his coffee and checked his watch. It was time for the signing and discussion. He knew that there was no way he would be able to concentrate, because the woman he loved flashed into his life and left as soon as she came.

Ezra sat in the back of Bigelow's, hastily signing the copies of _Just Another Apple_ that were thrust at him. He could not believe the noisy, bustling crowd before him and the cameras flashing at him. He felt as if he was being treated as a celebrity—but he was far from that. He was simply a man who put his life on paper, changed around the names, and sent it to a publishing company.

After a while, his hand began to cramp up, and he announced,

"I would love to take your questions."

He heard a voice from the back call, "Wait, why did you title your book _Just Another Apple_?

Ezra tsk-ed, shaking his head, "Sounds like someone didn't really read the book," He then grabbed a copy and flipped through it until he found the page he was looking for.

"Our relationship felt so meant to be that I never saw it to be scandalous," Ezra recited, "I never thought of her as forbidden fruit growing off the tree I am not allowed to eat from. To me, she was just another apple."

"Mr. Fitz, how do you feel now that you've published a book that promotes highly inappropriate relationships?" Asked an astonished middle-aged woman.

"_Just Another Apple _centers around a teacher's forbidden relationship with his young student, but the book does not discuss said girl's fall from innocence," Ezra answered, "Rather, it shows the purity and honesty of their love. The book does not encourage student-teacher relationships; it encourages love."

"Why did you choose to end the book the way you did?" Asked a man.

"You see, life isn't always romantic, it's often realistic. I didn't want to give my book the all-too-cheesy 'happily ever after' ending. Yet we often read books to escape the unfortunate realism of life, so I decided to give my book that hopeful ending to create a balance of practical yet romantic."

"When do you think you'll start writing the sequel?" Called out another voice, "We've been waiting far too long!"

A chorus of "Yeah!" 's erupted throughout the crowd. Ezra cleared his throat as to notify the mass to simmer.

"Ummmm... well…" Ezra began, unable to find the right words, "I guess I just don't have any… inspiration."

A few questions later, Ezra had, at long last, completed the final stop on his book tour. Now he had other things to worry about, things more important than his writing career- his relationship with Aria. Getting it right this time was more stressful than the pressure to write a sequel to _Just Another Apple_. But for Aria, Ezra was ready to face the challenge… wasn't he? It wasn't as if Aria had been a saint and Ezra was the only one who should be seeking redemption and forgiveness. Did she even deserve to be chased after, after the pain she was causing Ezra, after her close-minded decision to not hear Ezra out? Of course she did. She was Aria. Whether Ezra wanted to or not, he loved her.  
>Ezra strode furiously toward the bookshop's exit, slamming the door as he left. He couldn't believe that the love of his life had resurfaced, only to strand him without planning on ever seeing him again. Ezra didn't ask Aria for her forgiveness and he understood her fury; he simply wanted to <em>talk<em> with Aria. He couldn't believe that Aria wouldn't just _listen_ to him. She didn't need to come running back into his arms, but Ezra thought it unfair that she wouldn't just hear him out. Aria's view on their whole situation was so distorted, and Ezra didn't see how it was so unreasonable for her to just listen to him clear something up _before_ shutting him out of her life.

But Aria was so goddamned _stubborn_.

Aria's passion and determination was usually one of her best qualities; it was one of the reasons why Ezra fell in love with her. No matter how messed up their relationship was, Aria _always_ stood fervently by it, always trying to work things out, and never giving up.

Now, however, here they were, Aria taking a stance _against_ their relationship.

_Both of us had to have messed up pretty badly for Aria to change her position so drastically, for Aria to have given up completely on us_, Ezra thought to himself, as he rode back to his apartment in a bright yellow taxi. He spend the ride staring out the dirty window, looking up at the sky, not noticing a single cloud.

Aria dragged herself home from the bookstore, her feet kicking up leaves and dirt as she walked. Reading Ezra's book reminded her of all of their high points in their relationship, which made her unhappy and wistful in a melancholic way. Seeing Ezra Fitz in the flesh, however, reminded her of when everything had gone so horribly wrong; this particular sorrow she felt was bitter and anger-fueled. Seeing Ezra's deep blue eyes for the first time in ten years reminded her of the way they lit up when Aria met him at the airport on the day he returned from visiting his son, Malcom, in Delaware. They also reminded her of how Ezra's eyes looked so stormy and sad on the day he left her again. Seeing his strong, calloused hands and feeling their warmth on her skin reminded her of the way he had cupped her hands in his when he explained to her how he had stayed in Delaware an extra week was because he was going to job interviews there- and he had been offered a job, which he accepted. The burgundy shirt he had been wearing today was the same color of the suitcase in which he had packed countless vests and ties (many of them had been gifts from Aria), the one he had toted with him the night he left for Delaware once again, within the same two months of his first visit. That fateful, emotional night had paralleled the first one, with both Ezra's and Aria's faces drenched with tears and Ezra loading his belongings into his car, but there had also been some crucial differences. Ezra was saying goodbye for good, leaving Aria for Malcom and his new job, a U-Haul van was parked next to Ezra's car, also loaded with Ezra's things, and their relationship had been unofficially terminated.

When Ezra left for Delaware, he and Aria tried to make long distance work, and kept in touch via email, text, and occasional video chat. However, they gradually began to communicate less and less often until they had lost touch completely after the first two months of separation. After that, nothing. Aria had received no calls, no texts, not even any "Happy Birthday" Facebook messages from Ezra. He had let himself disappear from her life, went _years_ without contacting her. Once Ezra had stopped reaching out to Aria, she had stopped contacting him, not noticing that the pair had been slowly losing touch until they had stopped keeping in touch altogether. Although Ezra had not kept contact with her, he sent her a _very_ clear message, which was that this job (there were plenty of jobs for Ezra in Pennsylvania) and the son he had only knew for a month or so were more important than his girlfriend for over a year, who he claimed he loved. Aria began to think meant nothing to Ezra, and he was happier in his new life without her.

Aria had heard nothing of Ezra until four years ago, when his book about their love story had been published.

For some reason, Aria was deeply bothered by Ezra's revealing novel (which he had passed off as a work of fiction), mostly because it served as a definite end to their relationship with Ezra. The way he was able to write a story about their relationship with a definite ending proved that Ezra thought that their relationship was a thing of the past, without any hope of a reconciliation.

Aria had entered her apartment and began to settle down, countless thoughts about her and Ezra swarming in her mind. This afternoon felt so... surreal to her. She had been reunited with the love of her life, who, apparently, wasn't as far away as she had thought. She wished she could just let her mind take a rest but she just couldn't. Aria felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, as if she was nervous about something… but she didn't know what. Aria decided she would call Spencer to tell her what had happened and ask for her advice on what to do next. She grabbed her cell phone, and as soon as she started dialing Spencer's number, her phone buzzed and vibrating in her hand. She was getting a call. Aria looked at the number on her screen, realizing that it was familiar, but she couldn't place who the number belonged to. She stared at her phone for a bit, and it hit her.

Ezra was calling her.

Aria rolled her eyes and frowned in anger. _The audacity of that man_, she thought to herself.

Aria threw her phone across the room in rage, letting the call go to voicemail.

**Well… I suck at metaphors, and coming up with titles for things, so I apologize for calling Ezra's book **_**Just Another Apple**_**, but unfortunately, it stuck.**

**Thanks for reading! Review if you so desire:) Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**In case you cared, I changed my twitter un to ezriaspie because I didn't want it to be about Lucy anymore, but I've decided to be inactive. I don't know if I want to come back to twitter as an Ezria/Ian account or just stay inactive…. but anyways… hopefully I'll update soon but that never happens so yeah thanks**

**-Sam**


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